My Shih Tzu has hair loss between eyes. Allergies or mites? Vet?

The most common cause for hair loss and itching in this particular area is flea allergies. I would recommend that you have Shi Shi examined by a vet. The vet will examine all of her skin and discuss her medical history. The vet may need to take a sample of the skin for examination under the microscope. Once they have a better idea as to the cause, as in fleas or flea allergies, mites, or bacterial infection, they can recommend an appropriate treatment plan. https://www.petcoach.co/article/flea-allergy-dermatitis-or-flea-bite-hypersensitivity/

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This could also be due to something like mites and that can be easily determined with an exam and basic cytology which your veterinarian can perform. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

An allergy would likely cause more general symptoms instead of affecting just one area. Discuss any additional medications with your vet before given any. An e-collar (cone) should be used to prevent pawing. If current therapy is ineffective, consider a recheck with your veterinarian or veterinary ophthalmologist.

Oh dear, poor Gidget! Some of the most common causes of hair loss and black discoloration of the skin around the eyes include allergies, ringworm, and mange. Skin discoloration can occur as a result of chronic irritation and inflammation of the skin. If Gidget is scratching at her face or rubbing it on the ground, I recommend putting an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further hair loss and also to prevent injury to her eyes that could occur from her scratching/rubbing. Otherwise, the best thing that you can do is to take her to her vet for an exam. The vet may need to perform a skin scrape (to check for the presence of the mites that cause mange) or a fungal culture (to check for ringworm). Based upon their exam and test findings, they will be able to prescribe the best medication for Gidget, whether it is an antifungal, anti-parasitic, antibiotic, or anti-inflammatory medication. I hope that all goes well for Gidget!

Without pictures it is difficult to say for sure what this could be. This may be due to allergies, a skin infection (fungal or bacterial), etc. I would recommend using the below products to start. These can all be found online quite easily or at your local pet store. If there is no improvement, I would recommend having Gracie examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 4. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the area twice daily until resolved 5. Welactin omega 3 fatty acid capsules for dogs.

Hair loss in that area is generally due to allergies, mites or less likely and autoimmune disease. You can try giving Shadow an over the counter antihistamine to see if it helps. Wipe his eyes out daily to keep them clean. If he is rubbing the eyes, put an elizabethan collar on him to protect them. If you are not seeing any improvement, or if he is getting worse, I would recommend a vet visit. Taking care of things early is much better. I hope this helps Shadow.

Mites and allergies are usually the top offenders for itching and hair falling out. If Snowball has not been checked for mites, then I would be surprised, because we (vets) usually want to rule this out as a cause for itching, before treating for allergies (especially food allergies, which are a more rare cause of allergies). A vet can check for mites bay scraping the skin and looking for the mites under the microscope. This requires about 10 minutes to do at a veterinary clinic. I definitely recommend consulting your vet about this, if it hasn't been done before. I hope that helps and Snowball gets better soon.